Shirley Sherrod Discusses Vilsack's Job Offer & Breitbart's Smear Campaign With Anderson Cooper

Run time: 05:33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_WAqdTCXuY   Posted on YouTube: July 22, 2010 By YouTube Member: HotAirPundit Views on YouTube: 13   Posted on DU: July 22, 2010 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 1749

 
COOPER: Shirley Sherrod is with us now in New York, her first live interview since getting a new job offer from Secretary Vilsack.

Ms. Sherrod, what did you think, first of all? Were you satisfied with Secretary Vilsack's apology?

SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER USDA OFFICIAL: Yes, I was satisfied with it. In fact, I told him I appreciated the apology. And I know that we need to try to move forward from here.

COOPER: He said that he offered you another job at the USDA. What was the job? And -- and are you going to accept it?

SHERROD: Well, I haven't seen the full offer. He mentioned it. He mentioned something in civil rights with the Office of Outreach. I just don't know. I told him I need time to think about it. And I truly do need time to think about it.

COOPER: What's -- what's the thought process? I mean, has this changed your -- your -- your belief in the agency? What -- what's the thought process?

SHERROD: Well, I -- I know the secretary says that we need to deal with the issue of civil rights. I believe he's convinced that we do need to do that.

I need to know that the -- the department is truly wanting to do that. And that would mean more than just the secretary of agriculture. That's why I would want to weigh the seriousness of others and their commitment to once and for all ridding the USDA of the civil rights issues, the -- the discrimination issues that have been there for so long.

You know, I wouldn't want to be someone just out there swimming in the river all by myself, and the burden of -- of discrimination is placed on me.

I haven't actually seen the offer in writing. He did say he would send that to me by e-mail. And I was actually on a flight in Atlanta when he told me that. I haven't -- I just arrived here in New York. So, I haven't had a chance to look at just what it is he's offering yet.

COOPER: Yesterday, when we talked, you had said, based on what you had initially been told, you thought that this had come from the White House initially, that -- that the White House wanted you fired.

They have, all day, said today they did not weigh in on this in advance, that this was a decision by Secretary Vilsack. A, do you still believe that this originally came from the White House? And, if so, do you think the president owes you an apology?

SHERROD: Well, I firmly believe that, if the president -- if not the president, someone there at the White House was involved in that.

You know, he is the president of the United States of America. And I have received an apology from the secretary. It would be great to talk to the president, but, you know, I would not insist upon an apology from him.

COOPER: When you heard -- I don't know if you heard Andrew Breitbart today saying -- you know, not really apologizing, but -- but saying he felt sympathy toward you because this was made to be about you, and not the NAACP, do you buy that?

SHERROD: No, I don't.

You know, it was all about me to get at the NAACP. If he wanted to just get at the NAACP, he should have figured out a way -- out a way to go directly at them. He knew exactly what would happen when he put that tape out there in the way that he did. And he knew I would be the fall guy for that.

COOPER: What do you think his motivation was?

SHERROD: You know, exactly what was happening in the very beginning.

He set out -- he didn't care who he destroyed to try to do whatever it is -- I wish I could understand why they want to divide so much. I don't understand the thinking that he and so many more like him have. You know, they don't care. What is it they're after? Why is it that they cannot think that we can all live and work together in this great country?

COOPER: And -- and, I mean, the last 48 hours have got to be the most surreal, the most upsetting of your life, or -- or close to it.

What is -- I mean, what is the -- the lesson you have learned here, if anything? I mean, what is -- what is it you want to tell other people? Because, I mean, it seems to me this could happen to anybody. What happened to you, anybody could take a speech somebody made, cut it down, put it on the Internet, and brand somebody a racist for whatever ideological reason they have.

SHERROD: You're certainly right. It could happen to anyone in this country.

And it's sad that we have -- we have gotten to this level. It's sad that we have gotten to this place with it in this country, that we can't -- can't see people for what they are. We can't believe in people. We can't give people a chance. It's all about me and what I want. Forget anyone else.

COOPER: Well, Shirley Sherrod, I appreciate you being with us tonight. You know, we will keep in touch with you and -- and continue to follow this. This is not a story that's going away anytime soon. And we obviously want to hear about what happens with your job.

Ms. Sherrod, appreciate it. Thank you.

, and brand somebody a racist for whatever ideological reason they have.

SHERROD: You're certainly right. It could happen to anyone in this country."


Now THAT is some scary shit.

that I saw the original edited video on youtube, did not even finish it (and so did not realize the source was Fox) and completely bought into it, even posting it on DU. I doubt Shirley will ever hear this, but Shirley, I am sorry for the defamation of your character. You are a great asset to this country, and I will hopefully follow the example set by you in the future.

and had a totally different reaction. I understood even from the short clip that she was trying to say that she had an awakening when it came to race. She said in the original video that it wasn't about white or black, it is about rich and poor.

That is in the original edited clip! What didnt people understand about that, I defended her on the first day and was really appalled at the reaction it got on DU. I am glad those threads have been locked, it wasnt DUs finest hour.

definitely was not my finest hour, either

I guess there is a lot of that going on right now in relation to this story.

doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. So saying I was wrong when I know for a fact I was wrong is really nothing special...

Good for you Axle_techie. This was a terrible wrong for this lady.

speaks mountains for her character

Anderson Cooper - not so much. God, what a crappy interviewer he is.

Anderson acts like he's so surprised by how the media reacted. Yet, he IS the media. He wants to act like he's all apart from it. What is it, Anderson. You're either a journalist or you're a suck up. What are you trying to be?